Stewart Island / Rakiura (Rakiura, lit. "glowing skies", is the Māori name), commonly known as Stewart Island, is New Zealand's third-largest island, located 30 kilometres south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land area of 1,746 square kilometres. Its 164 kilometres coastline is deeply creased by Paterson Inlet (east), Port Pegasus (south), and Mason Bay (west). The island is generally hilly (rising to 980 metres [3,220 ft] at Mount Anglem) and densely forested. Flightless birds, including penguins, thrive because there are few introduced predators.
Stewart Island/Rakiura is sparsely populated and its economy is dependent on summer tourism and fishing and most of whom live in the settlement of Oban on the eastern side of the island. Ferries connect the settlement to Bluff in the South Island. Stewart Island/Rakiura is part of the Southland District for local government purposes.